PEANUTS: The Next ChapterEpisode 46: Resolution, Revolution
by HPDrummerman
Summary: Peppermint Patty is throwing another New Year's party and everyone is invited. Marcie tries to have a good time, but is still down in the dumps over Hans moving away. Though she's in for a surprise when a party-crasher, in the form of Floyd, a kid she had a run-in with at camp, decides to ring in the new year with "his lambcake".(Special guests Claudia and Skylar by LivingOnLaughs)
1. Chapter 1

Episode 46: Resolution, Revolution

**CHAPTER 1: PARTY TIME PLANNING**

Christmas had just passed and the kids were still enjoying their winter vacation. For Peppermint Patty, it meant gearing up for her big New Year's bash. She had invited all of her friends, and some were even helping with preparations. Claudia and Skylar were especially helping out with everything. Even Charlie Brown and Frieda were taking care of the catering. Lucy and Schroeder were getting the entertainment together, as he, Franklin, Pig Pen, Dolores, and Snoopy were going to be the house band with Schroeder on piano, of course, Franklin on bass, Pig Pen on drums, Dolores on guitar, and Snoopy on trumpet. Thibault and Rattler were in charge of finding the games for kids to play. It seemed like everyone was gearing up for Peppermint Patty's New Year's bash. Except for one kid.

Marcie was still down in the dumps over Hans moving back to Germany. She had only come out of her house only when she had no choice and had to run errands. And when she ran said errands, she was with her mother and tried to stay hidden from her friends. She wanted to feel better but couldn't get out of her funk over Hans. She wondered if she would ever be happy again. So as her friends were planning the biggest New Year's event in ever, Marcie was moping as she laid in her bed.

One day, Peppermint Patty came over to once and for all, get Marcie out of the house. It wasn't all her idea, though, as Marcie's mother had personally called Patty to come over and see if she could get her daughter up and moving. Patty was determined to get her best friend back in society. As she entered the house Patty made a beeline for Marcie's room. She didn't even bother to knock; she just went in.

"Marcie!" said a spent Patty. "This has got to stop! It's been over a month since Hans left; he's not coming back! I know you miss him, and I know you loved him, but he told you himself to move on."

Marcie said nothing.

"Good grief, not even Chuck got this depressed at his lowest! Look Marcie, you need some fresh air and a change of scenery. I'm having my New Year's Eve party in a few nights, and I would love it if you would be there. Everyone misses you and are as worried about you as I am. You may even get to dance with a lucky boy there."

And probably for the first time since Patty arrived, Marcie sat up and looked at her best friend. She wiped her eyes and put on her usual opaque glasses. She finally said, "You're right, sir. I need to get out of this mess I've been in since Hans moved. I will come to your party. But don't expect me to get into the groove right away. I'm not completely healed up from losing Hans, but I will try to have some fun."

"That's all I ask, Marcie," said Patty with a smile. "Everyone will be happy to see you. I know I missed you. For right now, how about some Joe's to eat?"

"Well I did say I'd be at your party, sir. I'm not quite ready to come out until then, though."

"That's fine, because I brought Joe's to you!" And Patty pulled out two big "To-Go" bags of food from Joe's Café for the two of them.

"Where's Franco at?"

"Oh, he's hanging with Franklin, Roy, and Thibault. He knew I was coming over here so he decided to hang out with them while I dealt with you."

"I'm a wreck, sir."

"Yes you are, but with my help, I'll get you back to feeling better." And the two friends enjoyed their meal together. Marcie was far from 100% better, but with Peppermint Patty at her side supporting her, she felt like things would get better.

**NEXT CHAPTER: RERUN ****STILL**** BLOWS SQUARE BALLOONS!**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: PARTY PREPAREDNESS**

At the Van Pelt house, Lucy, Linus, Rerun, along with Cobra and Dominick were blowing up balloons for the New Year's party. Rerun, for some odd reason, was blowing the balloons as squares. Lucy took noticed and got pretty annoyed by it.

"Rerun," she began, "how do you keep on blowing square balloons?!"

"I don't know," shrugged Rerun. "Maybe it's how I blow the air in them."

"Never in a million years have I seen someone blow square balloons until your brother, Mamba," said Cobra.

"I know," added Dominick. "This is definitely something new to me."

"At least TRY to blow regular balloons, okay?" pleaded Lucy.

"I'll try," said Rerun. And he grabbed another balloon and blew it. It started out normal but as it filled up it immediately turned into a square balloon.

"Oh good grief!" sighed an exasperated Lucy. "Charlie Brown often asked why he couldn't have a normal dog like everyone else. Well why can't _I_ have normal brothers like everyone else?!"

"You are cursed, Lucy," retorted Linus.

"At least you acknowledge it, blockhead," said Lucy.

"Let's just keep blowing the balloons, square or not," said Cobra, breaking the imbruing tension. And they continued to blow up the balloons.

Elsewhere in town, Charlie Brown and Frieda were finishing ice skating downtown and was about to head back to his house for some hot cocoa. They were looking forward to the party, too. But there was one thing on their minds.

"I wonder how Marcie is doing and if she'll be there," said Frieda.

"I talked to Peppermint Patty and she said she convinced Marcie to finally get out of the house and have some fun that night," said Charlie Brown.

"I'm worried about her, hun," said Frieda, sadly. "It's been over a month since Hans moved back to Germany and she's still in a funk about it."

"I know," agreed Charlie Brown. "She's looking how I used to look when I got very depressed about something. I just hope she actually has some fun. Maybe this will finally bring her back from the brink."

"We can only hope, baby," Frieda replied. And the two kids continued to walk back to the Brown residence.

Once they got back, they saw Snoopy and his brothers Andy and Olaf dressed in hockey gear. They were about to take on Woodstock and his bird buddies in a game of hockey on the birdbath.

"I don't even want to know," sighed Charlie Brown. "I just see my dog and his brothers dressed like the Red Wings and looking like they're out for blood on the ice rink."

"As long as they don't head to the actual ice rink we came from," noted Frieda. "Dogs aren't allowed there."

"I think they're heading for the birdbath," said Charlie Brown. And the dogs left for their game. The two lovebirds went inside. Sally and Michael were watching TV together, eating popcorn.

"Hey Sally, Michael," greeted Charlie Brown.

"Oh hi, big brother, Frieda," Sally greeted back.

"How was ice skating?" asked Michael.

"Very romantic, Michael," Frieda answered. "You two should try it."

"No way!" said Sally. "I'm not landing on my tailbone and making a fool of myself!"

"I could see that coming," said Charlie Brown under his breath. "Do you guys want any hot cocoa? Frieda and I were about to make some."

"Sure, we'll have some," said Sally. And they went in and Charlie Brown got the hot water in the kettle started. The youngest Brown sibling Wyatt had started crawling and was getting around pretty good. He crawled to where his older siblings were and pulled himself up to Frieda.

"Oh hi, Wyatt!" she cooed. "How are you, precious?" She picked the baby up and started kissing him on his chubby cheeks. Wyatt smiled and giggled. He liked Frieda and always smiled when she was over. Charlie Brown smiled at the scene. He was glad his baby brother loved Frieda like he did. Plus Wyatt showed his older brother plenty of affection, even as a young baby. Charlie Brown knew once he grew up, Wyatt would look up to him.

**NEXT CHAPTER: ONCE THE PARTY STARTS, AN UNWELCOMED VISITOR ARRIVES**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: THREE HOURS UNTIL MIDNIGHT**

December 31st arrived quickly, and at 9:00 PM, the party at Peppermint Patty's house was in full swing. Peppermint Patty and Franco danced the night away, as did Charlie Brown and Frieda, Sally and Michael, and all the other couples who were there. Marcie sat and watched her friends have a good time. She tried her best to be upbeat, but Hans wasn't far from her mind. She decided to for once put missing him on the back burner, if only for that night, and try to have some fun.

In the band, Schroeder, along with Pig Pen, Franklin, Dolores, and Snoopy, played the music for the dancing. While playing, Dolores asked Franklin, "Hey Franklin, where's Melanie?"

"She got grounded for getting bad grades in her classes," said Franklin, who was obviously saddened that his girlfriend was missing out of the last big party of the year.

"Well, no offense, but she isn't the smartest girl around," said Dolores.

"None taken, I get it," assured Franklin. "But she was also banned from coming to this party."

"You'd think her parents at least would allow her to have some fun," Dolores observed.

"They may have their reasons," sighed Franklin. And they continued to play.

After a while, the kids set up some chairs in the middle of the room. Peppermint Patty then announced, "Okay kids, you know what time it is!" And Snoopy started a record and the kids got ready to play Musical Chairs.

_(Peppermint Patty)_

_Hey! It's time for "Musical Chairs", come on, let's go!_

_Let's set up the chairs, now all in a row_

_You run around the chairs till the music stops_

_And ya have to find a seat, now don't get caught_

_'Cause when the music stops..._

_(Music stops then starts again and Rattler gets left out)_

_You can't be standin' there_

_If you wanna be a winner at "Musical Chairs"_

_Now we take away a chair while you're runnin' around_

_Don't let the kid in front of you get you down_

_Just listen to the rhythm now don't miss a beat_

_'Cause you don't wanna be the only one without a seat_

_'Cause when the music stops..._

_(Music stops then starts again and Ox gets left out)_

_You can't be standin' there_

_If you wanna be a winner at "Musical Chairs"_

_Now every time the music stops_

_You're gonna end up one chair short_

_And if you're boo-ga-looin when the music's gone_

_(Cobra gets left out)_

_Sorry ya got to move on_

_(Only Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown are still in)_

_Now it's the moment of truth, it's gettin' down to the_ _wire_

_You're burnin' up inside with musical fire_

_You hover 'round each corner of that precious seat_

_Waitin' for the moment you can get off your feet_

_'Cause when the music stops..._

_(Music stops then starts again and Charlie Brown gets left out)_

_You can't be standin' there_

_If you wanna be a winner_

_You got to be a winner_

_If you wanna be_ _a winner at..._

_"Musical Chairs"!_

_Yeah!_

A little while later, a late arrival from Roy with a strange kid comes in. Peppermint Patty and Franco greet them.

"Hey Roy!" greeted Peppermint Patty. "I was hoping you'd show up!"

"Guten tag, Roy," said Franco.

"Hey guys," said Roy. "I've brought my cousin who's visiting for Christmas break. I hope you don't mind."

"Sure not a problem," said Patty. "Though there's something familiar about him. I can't put my finger on it."

"Now that you mention it, you kind of look familiar, too," said the kid.

"Ah well, it may come to me later," Patty shrugged. "Come on in. Have fun!" And Roy and his cousin went in. Patty continued to look at the kid with Roy.

"Franco, I know that boy from somewhere," said Patty. "Now where have we met before?"

"I don't know that boy, fraulein," said Franco.

"It was before we met, Franco," said Patty. "In fact I think it was at camp when-" That was when Patty remembered who she just saw.

"OH GOOD GRIEF!" she gasped. "FRANCO, THAT'S FLOYD! A kid Marcie had a run-in with at camp. He had an obsessive crush on her like Sally used to with Linus! Let's just say how she belted Thibault across the chops for being chauvinistic towards her pales in comparison the punishment she delivered to Floyd!"

"What do we do?"

"You get Chuck and Frieda and see if they can get Marcie somewhere else!"

"Why?"

"Well what provoked Marcie to beat up Floyd was a pet name he gave her at camp. A name she hated so much, it caused her to deliver fury that even Mike Tyson wouldn't dream of bringing."

"What was that name, Patricia?"

"It was-"

Before Patty could finish what she was saying, everyone heard loudly, "LAMBCAKE!"

Marcie looked up and saw her worst nightmare. "Oh no! It's him!" she gasped.

"What in the world is a 'lambcake'?!" asked a confused Lucy.

"A name I hate with a passion, Lucille!" said Marcie through gritted teeth. She made a beeline towards Floyd who was ready to embrace the love of his life. He was happy to be "reunited" with his "lambcake", but she was in no mood to be romantic.

"WHAT ARE _YOU_ DOING HERE?!" she yelled.

"He came with me," said Roy, sheepishly. "Floyd's my cousin from out of state. How do you two know each other?"

"This cement-head kept coming on to me and calling me (ugh) 'lambcake', ,when I wasn't a lambcake!" said an angry Marcie. "What I didn't know was that you were related to this blockhead, Roy."

"Wait a minute!" said Roy. "Floyd, Marcie's this 'lambcake' you've been going on and on about?!"

"Yeah, and I think she's cute," said Floyd with a big grin.

"Roy, a word with you, please?" said an upset Patty. They went to a private area to talk about his "guest".

"Why'd you bring Floyd here?!" she whispered yelled to him.

"I had no idea you guys had even met each other, Patty!" pleaded Roy. "He went on about this 'lambcake' he met at camp, and I didn't know it was Marcie he was talking about!"

"Well, I guess I can see your side of things," said Patty, calming down a little, "but Floyd was obsessed about Marcie and wouldn't stop calling her 'lambcake'. In fact, in her own weird logic, she thought he was being sarcastic because, in her words, she was neither a lamb or a cake."

"Wow! And now she's out for blood, I take it!"

"Understatement of the last day of the year! We need to defuse the situation fast!" And Patty and Roy went back to where the drama was unfolding.

"I never stopped thinking about you, lambcake," said Floyd, with all honesty and love a boy could have for someone. "I always wondered if we'd see each other again, and here you are. And you happen to be friends with my cousin Roy!"

Marcie then grabbed Floyd by the shirt collar, causing the kids at the party to gasp. "Look you 14 karat moron!" she sneered. "If we're going to hang out tonight together, something I really don't want to do, then let's get a few ground rules straight! First and foremost, DO. NOT. CALL. ME. '**LAMBCAKE**'! I hate that name with a passion! Second, just because we may dance together; even ringing in the New Year together, does NOT mean we are a couple. Trust me, we had a situation like that almost two years ago, and it did not end well at all! (Somewhere in the crowd, Sally blushed with embarrassment of that memory in Monte Woods) And lastly, you will not kiss me or try to get affectionate with me! If we are going to hang out and dance together, we will do it AS FRIENDS! GOT IT?!"

Floyd was shaking in his boots. Patty and Roy got back just in time to see Marcie deliver her ultimatum to Floyd. Finally he said, "Okay, lamb-" Marcie raised an eyebrow.

"…I mean Marcie," he corrected.

"That's better," Marcie replied, calmly, now letting go of Floyd. "Schroeder, you and the band can continue to play." And Schroeder and the band did so, not knowing what to think of what just transpired.

"Now Floyd," Marcie continued, "would you like to dance?"

"Yes I'd love to!" he said with a smile.

"Okay then, let's dance," Marcie finished, "but ONLY as friends, okay?"

"Okay." And Marcie and Floyd went and danced with the other kids. Patty and Roy were astounded. It didn't end in bloodshed; at least not so far. And if Floyd abided by Marcie's rules, there wouldn't be any trouble that night.

**NEXT CHAPTER: A LITTLE AULD, A LITTLE LANG, AND A LITTLE SYNE!**

"**Musical Chairs" **written by Desiree Goyette and Ed Bogas


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: A NEW YEAR PASSES**

Order was restored after Marcie's confrontation with Floyd. And he was, to his credit, abiding by the rules set forth by her. It was 11:50 PM, ten minutes before the ball dropped. The kids were getting their root beer ready (also making sure to tell Snoopy not to take a sip out of every cup or sniff the root beer, the latter was stressed by Lucy) and all of the couples gathered around the living room. Lucy and Schroeder were hand in hand, Charlie Brown and Frieda were as well. The root beer was passed out to everyone to toast the new year. This time, Peppermint Patty wasn't alone. She had Franco at her side to ring in the new year with her. And Linus had Eudora, so he didn't dance with any of his friend's crushes. As the clock ticked closer to midnight, they watched the seconds count as the clock reached 11:59, 10 seconds left.

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Everyone blew their paper horns and cranked their noise makers. The kids toasted the new year with root beers in hand. Charlie Brown and Frieda kissed each other, as did Peppermint Patty and Franco. Lucy and Schroeder hugged one another and also embraced. Snoopy, Andy, and Olaf danced around, as did Woodstock and his bird friends. Then Schroeder went back to his piano and started playing.

_Should auld acquaintance be forgot,_

_And never brought to mind_

_Should auld acquaintance be forgot,_

_And days o' lang syne!_

_For auld lang syne, my Dear,_

_For auld lang syne,_

_We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,_

_For auld lang syne._

_We two have run about the hills,_

_And pulled the daisies fine;_

_But we've wander'd many a weary foot, _

_Since auld lang syne._

_We two have paddled in the brook,_

_From mornin' sun till dinnertime,_

_But seas between us broad have roar'd,_

_Since auld lang syne._

_And there's a hand, my trusty friend,_

_And give us a hand o' thine;_

_And we'll take a right goodwill draft,_

_For auld lang syne._

_And surely ye'll buy your pint-cup,_

_And surely I'll buy mine;_

_And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,_

_For auld lang syne._

The new year was rung in with no issues or broken hearts. The party continued to go. Everyone danced the night away and had fun. All of the couples danced together.

"Happy New Year, Frieda," said Charlie Brown.

"Happy New Year, sweetie," said Frieda, who kissed her boyfriend again.

"Happy New Year, Franco," said Peppermint Patty.

"Frohes neues Jahr, Patricia," said Franco.

"Happy New Year, Schroeder," said Lucy.

"Happy New Year to you, Lucy," said Schroeder.

"Here's to a brand new year, Eudora," said Linus.

"Cheers, babe," said Eudora.

"Happy New Year, Sweet Babboo!" cooed Sally to Michael.

"And a happy one to you, Sweet Babbooette," said Michael.

"Feliz año nuevo, Jose," said Dolores.

"¡Lo mismo para ti, mi amor!" said Jose.

"Happy New Year, Tee Wee," said Rattler.

"Happy New Year, Holly," replied Thibault.

"Happy New Year to you, Dom," said Cobra

"You too, Sylvia," said Dominick.

"Happy New Year, Oxie," said Patty.

"Happy New Year, Patty," said Ox.

"Happy New Year, Shermy," said Violet.

"You too, Violet," said Shermy.

"H-happy New Y-y-year, Skylar," said Claudia.

"Same to you, Claudia," said Skylar.

"Happy New Year, Melanie," said Franklin, sadly, "if you can hear me."

"Happy New Year, Sidney," said Pig Pen.

"You too, Matthew," said Sidney.

"Happy New Year, Marcie," said Floyd.

Marcie sighed deep. "Happy New Year, Floyd." She offered her hand to shake, but Floyd tried to sneak a kiss in. It ended with him getting deck in the face. Any peace that was in the room was broken by Marcie hitting Floyd.

"WHAT IN THE HECK ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL, YOU CREEP?!" Marcie screamed. Peppermint Patty, Franco, and Roy ran up to the scene to see what happened.

"Marcie, what happened?!" asked a concerned Patty.

"OH NOTHING, SIR!" yelled Marcie. "ONLY ROY'S COUSIN TRYING TO BE FRISKY AGAIN!"

Roy facepalmed himself and groaned. "Floyd, I swear to Sparky Schulz, I can never take you anywhere without you trying to throw yourself at the first girl you have a crush on."

"I'm sorry, cousin Roy," Floyd pleaded. "I can't help it! I'm madly in love with Marcie! She's the girl of my dreams!"

"Kid, have it ever occurred to you that she had just gotten out of a relationship?" asked Patty to Floyd. "She's not trying to date anyone right now. Her boyfriend had just moved back to his old home and she's been distraught over it for some time now. She was just starting to feel better, and then you pull this stunt after she made it clear that NOTHING was going to happen! You know what? Roy, you are welcome to stay, as this is not your fault at all and we are friends. But as for you, Floyd, you can make like a tree, and LEAVE!"

"Remind me never to tick off Marcie ever!" Lucy whispered to Charlie Brown. "I thought _I_ had a temper!"

"I'll make a note of it, Lucy," Charlie Brown responded.

Floyd before leaving tried to make peace with Marcie. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"DO YOU WANT A REPEAT PERFORMANCE?!" yelled Marcie. "YOU HEARD MY FRIEND! **LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK, YOU BLOCKHEAD!**" And Floyd ran out the house before Marcie could act on her promise.

"Good grief!" said a spent Charlie Brown. "This makes what happened at Violet's party a few months ago with Joe Agate showing up look like a picnic in the park."

"I wouldn't say that, Charlie Brown," said Violet. "But this comes close."

Peppermint Patty and Roy walked up to a still seething Marcie. "Marcie, I am so sorry about my cousin," Roy began, trying to bring back the peace. "Like I said, I had no idea about him doing this to you before."

"Like Patricia said, Roy," said Marcie, now starting to calm down, "it wasn't your fault. You had no idea about Floyd hitting on me at camp. And now he pulls this stunt. I do ask you a favor, though. When you see him, let him know the next time he's in town, to stay away from me or the cops will be called, if I don't kill him first."

"Dooley noted!" agreed Roy.

"Okay everyone," Patty began saying, "the drama is all over! Let the party continue!" And the music started up again. Patty then walked up to Marcie, followed by Claudia and Skylar.

"Are you gonna be all right, Marcie?" asked Patty.

"I think I just want to go home, sir," said a spent Marcie. "I do appreciate what you did for me, though. In spite of Floyd being, well, Floyd, I otherwise had some fun."

"W-we'll walk with you, Marcie," said Claudia. "We n-need to get back to our h-h-homes as well."

"Thanks for having sugar-free root beer, Patty," added Skylar.

"No a problem, Sky," said Patty. "Okay, I'll see you guys later."

"Goodnight, sir," said Marcie. "And Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year, Marcie."

**NEXT CHAPTER: AN OLD-FASHIONED DRESSING DOWN**

"**Auld Lang Syne"** written by Robert Burns

Public Domain


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: THE DAY AFTER**

"What is the matter with you?!" Those were the words coming from Roy addressing Floyd, who was nursing a black eye with ice. "It's normal for you to have a crush on someone. That's not the issue, Floyd. The issue is when someone doesn't have an interest in them, respect their wishes to be left alone! You don't continue to pursue them after they told you they didn't want to date you! It makes you look like a stalker!"

"But what do I do about my feelings?" asked Floyd. "I can't help how I feel!"

"Maybe not, but it's all about boundaries, Floyd! Boundaries! Imagine if some dude tried that with your sister. You'd be ready to kill the creep! I know I would! And like Peppermint Patty said last night, Marcie was in a long relationship with this boy Hans. He had moved here from Germany. And just over a month ago his family moved back there, leaving her heartbroken. So in addition to already not being into you, she was still getting over losing a boyfriend she was dating for over two years!"

"I could be her new boyfriend-"

"YOU ARE NOT GETTING IT FLOYD! GOOD FREAKING GRIEF! Stay away from Marcie! She doesn't love you, let alone LIKE you, she's not in the market for a new boyfriend, and even if she was, you wouldn't even be the LAST PERSON she'd pick! She doe not want ANYTHING to do with you! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?! Man, Sally eventually got it that Linus wasn't in love with her, why can't you see that?!"

"But, I love her…" Floyd was genuinely sad and beginning to tear up.

"There are other girls out there, Floyd," assured Roy. "Girls who will like you for you, but you got to stop throwing yourself at them. Get to know them first. And don't call them pet names like 'lambcake' because if you thought Marcie hated being called that, what makes you think other girls will like being called that?"

Floyd sighed. "I guess I have no choice, huh?"

"No, you don't. Just move on and leave Marcie alone. She doesn't want anything to do with you. She even threaten getting the police involved if you didn't stop. Find some other girl who will like you, but get to know her first, and no pet names."

Floyd wiped his eyes and sniffed a bit. "At least tell her I'm sorry for what I did. Could you do that for me?"

"Sure, Floyd. I'll let her know. But don't expect her to be wanting to see you again, though. You already burned that bridge, but you can build a new one with another girl. Just remember what I said." And the two cousins hugged one another. Floyd was genuinely sorry for his actions. And he knew that Marcie was now off-limits. And Roy would try to play peacemaker between his cousin and Marcie, to at least clear the air.

Elsewhere, Charlie Brown and Frieda were at Joe's Café enjoying a post-New Year's noon date together. The drama that unfolded was the topic of choice.

"How about last night, hun?" said Frieda. "I knew Lucy could blow up easily, but who knew Marcie had a temper?

"Believe it or not, I was on the receiving end of her temper a couple of times," said Charlie Brown. "She had kicked me in the shins if I didn't tell her what she wanted to hear from me. I actually started wearing shin guards in case she showed up at my door again for a while."

"She liked you that much, Charlie Brown," said Frieda. "I think you didn't get it then because for years Lucy and others told you no one would ever love you, and you believed it. When someone like Peppermint Patty or Marci showed any affection towards you, it was foreign to you that you weren't used to it."

"But we got together, Frieda," said Charlie Brown.

"We did. But it was different for us. Patty and Marcie threw themselves at you, kind of like Floyd did with Marcie herself last night. Patty especially tried to force you into loving her, but it had the opposite effect. Even though I professed my love for you, we let it grow organically, and now we're inseparable."

"Yeah, I guess we are. Now I can't think of no one else I'd rather be with than you, Frieda."

"And I you, baby." And the two of them kissed each other, then finished their lunch and decided to go to the movies for the afternoon matinee.

Marcie was still reeling from the New Year's party. She was still upset about what Floyd tried to do to her. Roy had called and apologized on Floyd's behalf. Marcie said she may forgive him in time, but for now, she couldn't, and even if she did forgive Floyd, they wouldn't be friends, let alone a couple. Plus the incident just reinforced her missing Hans even more. While not as distraught over it like she was, she was thinking of him and how he would've put a stop to Floyd's shenanigans from the start. Luckily, Roy had straightened him out and told him not to contact or go to see Marcie again. And that was fine with her.

**THE END**


End file.
